Toni Van Laarhoven’s foremost “why” is named Steffanie. Van Laarhoven’s older sister, who is non-speaking and has severe intellectual disabilities, inspired more than the career of the Distinguished Teaching Professor in the NIU Department of Special and Early Education (SEED). Steffanie also
Read moreSupporting students of color: Faculty share ideas to expand concept of equity
As the powerful messages from a panel of Black students concluded during the Jan. 7 all-college meeting, Dean Laurie Elish-Piper shifted the conversation to action. “I’ve asked each department to share an initiative that directly relates to supporting students of color, broadening
Read moreGetting to Know You: SEED finds creative way to engage freshmen, transfer students
Angie Lobdell knows her way around schools. When her youngest child was born in 2001, she became a stay-at-home mom. And when that child began kindergarten, she maternally followed. “I decided to work at the school. I got a job as a
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